Car-coupling



J. P.-DERR.

GAR UOUPLING.

Patented De0.-27, 1892.

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WIN/WW I! #I' "ll m; "w W W/TNESSQS: INVENTOH W' E WINE/PW g I v I By mm M A M ATTORNEY STATES JOHN P. DERR, OF GREENVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,875, dated December 2'7, 1892.

Application filed September 24,1892. $erial No. 446,827. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN P. DEER, of Greenville, in the county of Mercer and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use-' ful Improvement in Oar-Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an improved car coupling designed to provide for the safety of the train men in coupling and uncoupling cars, by avoiding the necessity of going between the cars.

It consists in the peculiar construction and arrangment of levers whereby the draw head may be raised for coupling or uncoupling in such a manner that the lever upon one side is wholly disconnected from andindependent of the lever upon the other side, or the top of the car, so that the operation of 'one lever does not move or disturb any of the others.

It also consists in the peculiar construction of the draw head for a double connection in coupling as hereinafter described.

Figure l is a side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal sections, of the two parts of the coupling detached. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device applied to a box car. Fig. 3 is a plan View showing the two'parts of the coupling connected.

In the drawings A represents the draw head which is constructed as a flat slab or bar of steel or iron having at its outer end and on one side of the middle line an upwardly extended hook a with its point turned inwardly to the car which carries it, and having immediately below the same another hook a in the same vertical plane, and with its end also turned inwardly like the one above.

On the opposite side of the middle line of the draw bar and a little in rear of the books is formed a slot 1), which is adapted ,to receive the hooks of the draw bar on the opposite car.

To couple thedraw bars, it is necessary to raise one above the plane of the other a distance equal to the vertical height of the hooks, and then when! the cars come together the hook at on the under side of the top draw bar drops through the slot 1) of the underneath draw bar, and at the same time the upper hook a of the underneath draw bar passes up through the slot b of the upper draw bar. This couples the draw bars at two points, in-

suring a double security and a stronger connection, and when the cars are traveling on a curved track it throws the bearing point, which carries the draft, on the side of the coupling next to the outer rail, allowing the hearings on theinner side of the curve to slacken up. This prevents binding or cramping of the coupling in lateral direction, and also throws the draft strain on the outer side of the middle line of the cars, which tends to keep them on the track better.

The draw bars have in their rear ends an elongated slot 0, which embraces a horizontal transverse bar B which is connected to tiebars d and braces e that run to a similar bar B at the other end of the car. This bar 13 is both a draft connection and an axis for the draw bar, and thelatterin being lifted to couple or uncouple oscillates about said bar. The draw bar lies in a yoke shaped frame 0 fixed rigidly to the lower end portion of the car and also passes through a swinging and movable stirrup D. This stirrup is loosely 7 5 connected by a link or chain to a vertical slide E which moves in guide ways ff fixed to the vertical end walls of the car. This slide has an offset or lug g and also a slot h. Under the lug 9 there rests the shorter or lighter ends of levers F F which extend to the opposite sides of the car and furnish means for raising the slide and stirrup and the attached draw bar. In the slot it there is also hooked loosely the bent end of a verti- 8 5 cal lift rod G connected to the arm of an elbow lever H, or running all the way to the top of the car if desired. This furnishes means for raising the slide and draw bar from the top of the car, while the two levers below furnish means for raising it from either side of the car, and it will be perceived that the lever upon either side is disconnected from and independent of the one upon the other side, and both are disconnected from and in- 5 dependent of the lift rod running to the top of the car t'. e. when the slide is raised by either lever the slot rises over the bend of the lift rod without moving the latter, and either lever lifts the lug of the slide inde- 10o pendently of the other.-

To render the draw bar yielding to both compressive and tensile strain, its inner end is perforated and slides over a rod H, and

around this rod behind the draw bar is a spiral spring 2' to receive backing strains, and in the slot of the draw bar between the cross bar B and the back end of the draw bar there is another spiral spring j which receives the draft strain in pulling.

S is a spiral spring held in a socket above the draw bar to keep the latter from accidentally rising to an uncoupling position and still allow it to rise to this position when force is applied by the brakeman.

I am aware that the two draw bars of adjacent cars have been coupled by a double con nection of slots and studs as shown in Patent No. 278,014, and I make no claim broadly to this double connection, butonly to the peculiarconstruction and arrangement of parts shown in which the bearing points of the hooks when locked are in the same transverse line as shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A car coupling having its draw bars each constructed with two hooks a awith intu rned ends, and with the hooks a and a in the same vertical plane and the one immediately below the other, and both upon one side of the middle line of the draw bar, and having upon the other side of the middle line a longitudinal slotto receive the hooks of the other draw bar, said slots being arranged in relation to the hooks to bring the bearing points of the double connection in the same transverse line substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination with the draw bar and its horizontal axis; of a lifting stirrup and slide with levers and lift rod operating independently upon the slide substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination with the draw bar and its horizontal axis:, of a lifting stirrup and attached slide with lug and slot, horizontal levers bearing against the lug and extending to each side of the car, and a lift rod running to the top of the car and having its lower end hooked into the slot substantially as shown and described.

4. The draw bar having a horizontal slot at its rear end, a fixed horizontal draft bar passing through the slot, and a middle longitudinal rod having a spiral spring arranged upon each side of the rear end of the draw bar substantially as shown and described.

JNO. P. DEER.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. GRIDLEY, SOLON O. KEMON. 

